It was a "Big Night o' Jazz" at Brethren Christian Junior and Senior High School last week as the student jazz combo and jazz band put on a show before a full house in the school's mall.

Led by Matthew Thacker and Leonard Montgomery of the school's fine arts department, the event featured professional musician Keith Felch playing with the school's 8 O'Clock Combo and 8 O'Clock Jazz Band.

The audience enjoyed a treat with the premiere of "A Lizard's Blues," composed by student Marc Harris. Harris is the 2013 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer award recipient. He, Felch and the rest of the high school students brought down the house.

Brethren Christian was named Outstanding Arts Education Program by Arts Orange County, the state-local partner of the California Arts Council, and the jazz combo performed at the pre-concert reception of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts' 25th annual Candlelight Concert.

The jazz combo also has won the John Philip Sousa Award at the Huntington Beach Fourth of July Parade for the past two years, earned first place in the Irvine Jazz Festival (unanimous superiors) last year and plays every year at the high school concert series at Steamers Jazz Cafe, an honor reserved for the Top 10 high school jazz bands in Orange County.

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